


Face Off

by looks_and_books777



Series: 101 Ways to Write KuroTsukki [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Incubus Tsukki, Kuroo - Freeform, Kuroo is..., Little dialougue, M/M, Tsukishima is back at it again with the sexiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-08 15:39:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17389112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/looks_and_books777/pseuds/looks_and_books777
Summary: In which Tsukishima is cursed with beauty, and Kuroo seems to be the only one to see through the mask.





	Face Off

**Author's Note:**

> Happy KuroTsukki day!!!   
> Yeah, I didn't know either, so you guys should make some too.

Tsukishima Kei likes things in order. He likes things a certain way, every day in a pattern. It's easier to stay focused that way, he argues because well, it is.

Tsukishima Kei does laundry on Monday, cleans as soon as he gets off of his shift at the corner cafe and divides his free time between equal measurements of science documentaries, crime shows, listening to music, taking care of his balcony garden and reading. 

For someone like Kei, for someone who likes things _just so_ it's almost ironic that he be cursed with this...this beauty. But Kei doesn't call it beauty, because beauty is appreciating things for both outside and inside appearances. Beauty is knowing the good, the bad and the downright hideous and choosing to love that _thing_ anyway. 

 

(Kei secretly wishes for someone to call him beautiful, and mean it) 

 

People don't see Kei for what he really looks like, inside awkward appearances and constant insecurities. No, people see these  _illusions_ , some perfect Kei that _does not exist_. They see Kei with black hair, brown eyes, and a coy smile. They see Kei with drawn brows, concentrated glance, and the prettiest features to ever exist. They see Kei with darkish blue hair and conflicting gray eyes., They see Kei with his perfectly normal height, outstanding smile, and no blemishes. 

Point being, people see Kei the way _they_ want to see Kei. They imagine this perfect Kei in their minds when really, Kei is nothing of the sort. And honestly, it gets a little infuriating. So Kei masks his annoyance with boredom and indifferent. It works, sometimes. 

But there are people like Yamaguchi Tadashi. Wait, no. That's not right. There is only Tadashi, only Mom, only Dad, and only Akiteru. Other than that, Kei is alone in this big, big world. 

 

(Another secret wish of Kei's: Kei wants friends, not many, just a small group of people who can see past Kei's illusion of beauty) 

 

 

"Tsukishima? Do you think you could bus table seven please?" Sugawara Koushi asks, popping from around the wall that separates the bakery from the front counter. Kei nods his solemn nod and grabs the coffee pot in one hand and the tea kettle in the other. He walks his way over to table seven where a bunch of rowdy teenagers is supposedly studying. Kei says supposedly because when he arrives, the male with the terrible hair (funny--it looks like a rooster) is preparing to chuck his pencil at his tablemate, clearly ignoring the Biology textbook beside him. 

(Kei thinks it's ironic for a rooster to learn about Biology)

All three teen look up at him. Kei can feel the calculating gazes of Owl and Stormy Eyes (He'll learn their names in a second, Kei feels like these guys are the ones who can't keep their mouths shut) assessing his features and waits for the confusion to set in. Confusion because who _exactly looks this beautiful?_ Confusion because  _I'm pretty sure I've seen him before._ Confusion because,  _What the actual hell?_

"Is there something on my face?" Snarkily comments Kei because the stares are a little uncomfortable now. Snarkily comments Kei, because that's the only thing Kei can think of. Because it's the only thing Kei has ever known.  Stormy Eyes first, eyes blinking in a succession of three times before gesturing to the coffee pot. He clears his throat and inconspicuously nudges Owl with his elbow. Hard. 

_"Ow!_ Akaashi, what was that for?!" Akaashi makes a not-so-subtle-glance at a coffee cup filling Kei. Kei catches it because he's used to the stares. Kei catches it because his eyes were still trained on Rooster because Rooster is staring at him with the most adoring gaze. It scares Kei, how someone can look at him like that, in only five minutes withing meeting. 

 

(That was a lie. Kei will never be used to the stares. Not for as long as he lives) 

 

They all look around twenty-two or a three, way too old to be throwing pencils and such at each other. Or maybe it's another friend thing Kei will never understand. There are so many of the friend things that Kei will never understand. But there's Tadashi, so that's not so bad. Only it is because Tadashi knows him like the back of his hand and sometimes it's getting annoying when Kei wants to brood and ponder the meaning of life. 

Kei understands math, understands numbers, understands that _something_ is wrong with him. Understands that normal people don't look like _this (_ Kei knows what he actually looks like, and so do the closest people to him), don't cause other people to look at him with such adoring eyes (Like Rooster). So Kei returns with a scone because that is what Owl ordered. Rooster has snapped out of it now and stares at Kei with beautiful golden brown eyes. His face upturns in a smirk upon glancing at his nametag and Kei is reminded of a sly cat gaze. That is what Rooster looks like now. More of a Cat than a Rooster.

"Hello, honeybunch-"

"Ew. You did not just call me 'honeybunch'"  Kei will stop him there. And Kei will be the last to admit the slowly upturning of the corners of his mouth, and the way three walls of ice immediately fall down, crashing at his feet. 

 

"Kuroo, don't be weird" Comments Akaashi and Kei finds himself nodding along but not really meaning it. Kuroo looks appalled and pouts in a way that is certainly not mature and certainly most childish. Kei thinks it's cute and immediately shrinks away.

(Secretly, Kei likes the horrendous nickname)

 

Kei talks with the people at table seven, learned their names (Kuroo, Akaashi, and Bokuto. It seems...fitting, somehow) enjoys himself for a full twenty minutes before remembering that he was technically still on the clock and technically he had been holding that kettle of really warm tea for some time now and technically he should be working so- 

"Bye-bye honeybunch. See ya soon" And table seven leaves and Kei wants them to come back. He wants Kuroo to come back soon because Kuroo is most certainly not boring and can keep up with his wits. Kei can ignore the hammering pangs in his chest and the hitches in his breath. 

 

(Later, when Kei is cleaning up, he spots a napkin on the table. It's got a badly drawn Kuroo next to a phone number CALL ME, says the speech bubble above Badly Drawn Kuroo's head. Kei doesn't text him until three days later) 

 

It takes a total of two weeks before Kuroo and the rest of table seven come again. Two weeks of bantering conversation between Kei and Cat-Kuroo. Kei's walking around, cleaning tables and humming The River Flows in You when he feels arms wrap around his waist and a breath fog on the back of his neck. 

"Hello, honeybunch" Whispers Kuroo in a terrible voice impersonation of Homer Simpson. Kei fights the blush rising on his cheeks and fails miserably. So Kei blushes like a twelve-year-old schoolgirl and pushes him away. It works for the most part, but Kuroo steps forward again with a chuckle, ready to invade his boundaries because Kuroo has no idea what personal space is. 

 

(Secretly, Kei liked the feeling of Kuroo's arms around his waist. Kei wishes for it to happen more often. It doesn't) 

 

Table seven and Kei talk and banter and play and then table seven leaves. It's a bit too soon for Kei because now he's lonely again and there is no Tadashi to come and comfort him and play therapist. Tadashi is away at his grandmothers. Another week passes of Kei and Kuroo and the beautiful conversations that pass between them. Another week of ignoring heart pangs and fighting blushes and secretly screaming  _Kiss me already~!_ in his head. Another week of boring shifts at the coffee shop when on a Thursday (the usual day of Table Seven Antics) only Kuroo burst into the shop. He looks strangely down for some reason and Kei wonders if it's because of the absence of Akaashi and Bokuto. Kei chooses not to ask questions and surprisingly, Sugawara lets him off early with smirks of  _Have fun, Tsukishima-san_ _._ Kei has plenty of fun with just Kuroo. 

(Kei wonders if this is a date because now Kuroo has scooted a bit closer. Oh, look. He's scooting again)

 

Later Kuroo invites Kei over for tea and promises of the best night filled with fun times. Kei rolls his eyes but agrees anyway because of the simple fact that its Kuroo. And well, Kei does have fun. And Kei comes back the next day and the next and then the next in a nice pattern for two weeks straight. 

( _Why won't he kiss me already?_ ) 

 

"You know you're beautiful. Right honeybunch?" The question throws Kei completely off-kilter and he stares at Kei with those hooded eyes like it's the most natural thing in the world. Because Kei had accidentally let it slip about his little problem one night. Kuroo hasn't bought up his beauty ever since. Kei let it slip how no one has ever gotten his features right, because no one but Mom, Dad, Akiteru and Tadashi know what he truly looks like. 

 

"Stop it Kuroo-san. Stop it now." Kei says and makes a move to stand up. Kuroo pulls him back down and they both struggle around on the couch for a while. Kuroo ends up topping Kei, holding the latter's arms above his head. Kei struggles and struggles because he does not want to hear this conversation right now. 

 

(Becuase Kuroo only sees an illusion of Kei. Not the real Kei) 

 

"What's wrong. Kei, stop moving around. I'm trying to serenade you with my words" Kei struggles even harder, just so. Kuroo shakes his head and groans. 

"Kuroo,  _move_ " Kei's voice isn't as strong as he would like it to be. 

"You have pretty eyes honeybunch. They're this really nice shade of gold. It looks like someone melted a gold crayon and you have this beautiful golden hair honeybunch" Kuroo cups Kei's cheek and stares at him with the most loving gaze in the world. "And you have these perfect lips and I've kinda been wanting to kiss you since last Thursday so watta ya say honeybunch?" 

Kei is speechless because that would mean- 

That would mean Kei would be truly beautiful. And secretly, but not so much of a secret now, that's all Kei has ever wanted. So Kei decided to be bold and presses his lips to Kuroo's and he feels as though his life is complete. 


End file.
